Atlanta Hawks: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day
4. Proving the doubters wrong
Expectations surrounding the Atlanta Hawks are minimal as the team closes out its sixth decade of existence.
After winning an average of 47.2 games during head coach Mike Budenholzer’s tenure with the organization, the sweeping personnel changes have not inspired much confidence in the team heading into the season.
According to the betting odds on SportsBook Review, only four teams — Chicago, Sacramento, Orlando and Brooklyn — enter the 2017-18 season with lower odds of claiming the championship than Atlanta.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm outside of the organization on the prospects of a successful campaign, Budenholzer believes the team can remain competitive in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
"It's kind of wasted time to think about or worry about what other people expect of us."
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) September 25, 2017
- Coach Bud on outside chatter
While Budenhozler won’t let the negativity from the gambling experts in Las Vegas penetrate the mindset of his team, keeping Atlanta’s decade-long playoff streak alive seems like a difficult task.